City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“‘25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’ 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.”

Luke 4:25-30 ESV

Reflection

Talk about shooting the messenger! Many of those in the crowd grew up with Jesus, played hide-and-seek with Him, bandaged up His scraped knees, and showed Him fishing pointers. Yet they were willing to kill Him because He recited the Word! Why were the Galileans so mad? They would have been familiar with the stories of Elijah and Elisha and they liked Jesus a few minutes before He reminded them of certain Biblical facts (Luke 4:22).

King Ahab influenced the Israelites to turn away from God and towards idols (1 Kings 16:30-33). Elijah helped a non-Jewish widow who lived in pagan territory, the same one Jezebel was from (1 Kings 17:7-24). Later, Israel had still turned away from God under the influence of King Joram (2 Kings 3:1-3), and God had allowed the country of Aram to take over Israel. Elisha was called to heal a non-Jew from Aram (now Syria) who had invaded Israel (2 Kings 5:1-15). Both Elijah and Elisha were rejected by their fellow Israelites because they served the one true God and not idols. Both Sidonians and Aramites were considered enemies of Israel, the prophets helped their people’s enemies and they ended up knowing God.

Bigotry can run very deep. In Judaism, part of the Birkot Haschachar, or blessings of the morning, is (please don’t throw me off a cliff for writing this) “Blessed are You, Eternal our God, who has not made me a Gentile, a slave, or a woman” (offensive and problematic much?). Imagine reciting this as part of your prayers since the day you learn how to speak for EVERY morning of your life. Then you can see where the fickle crowd is coming from (not that this is an excuse for their behavior). Jesus was telling them not what they wanted to hear, but what they needed to hear, that God is not exclusively for the Jews, but for ALL people.

In Matthew 22:1-10, Jesus tells a parable of a king whose guests do not show up, they even kill the messengers (maybe they throw them off a cliff), so he invites those who occupy the streets, those whom the original guests would have deemed “unworthy.” The Israelites were God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6), BUT multiple times they did not choose God. If you’ve read the Old Testament, you’ll see that Israel rejects God multiple times (He is VERY loving and patient), and so God gives His Love and Blessings to non-Jews.

The Apostle Paul, who recited the same prayer ever since toddlerhood until his conversion to Christianity, clarified what God truly meant for His children:

“28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Galatians 3:28-29 ESV

All who have given their life to Jesus Christ, no matter their race, socioeconomic status, gender, or past choices, are children of God. That’s what Jesus wanted His audience to understand.

Application

Be very careful about who or what influences you. Just because someone says their actions are in the name of God does not mean they are godly (Matthew 7:15-20). If you have doubts, check what someone says about God with the Bible. If something doesn’t make sense, don’t just brush it off, explore it. Ask questions. Be curious.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for being so patient with me. Let me be more aware of who or what is influencing me, for better or worse. If something in Your Word doesn’t make sense, please clarify what You truly mean. In Your Name I pray, amen.